"He just ate pucks" - Connor Bedard adds Dallas Stars defenseman to his list of favorite NHL players

Chicago Blackhawks forward Connor Bedard revealed his admiration for Chris Tanev, citing the defenseman as his all-time favorite hockey player. Bedard's remarks preceded the upcoming clash between the Dallas Stars and the Blackhawks on April 6.

The Stars are currently contending for a playoff spot and seeking to enhance their win tally, whereas the Blackhawks have already been eliminated from contention this season.

In a conversation with The Athletic's Julien McKenzie and Mark Lazerus, Connor Bedard expressed his admiration for Tanev's skills and rugged gameplay.

“He just ate pucks. He’d put his face in front of it, if he needed to, every night. So I had a lot of respect for him, just watching the way he played. I liked the Sedins and everything, but I thought it was pretty cool what (Tanev) did. When you watch a team all the time like that, I think you notice guys like that more.”

Tanev reciprocated the admiration for the young forward, speaking highly of him.

“It’s pretty cool to have a guy who’s that good of a player and, obviously, going to be an incredible player for so long in the league to think that of you.”

Furthermore, upon hearing from multiple sources about Bedard's remark regarding Tanev as his favorite player, Tanev replied,

“You don’t really think of that stuff when you’re playing. But once in a while, it’s nice just to hear that from people.”

Connor Bedard is overworking himself and the Chicago Blackhawks are noticing

Connor Bedard has reportedly been pushing himself to the brink, prompting his coach Luke Richardson to take action such as hiding his hockey sticks. Concerns have been voiced not only by the team owner, staff and Bedard's teammates but also by Kyle Davidson, the general manager of the Chicago Blackhawks, who told NBC's Ryan Taylor.

"The Blackhawks have a hockey shooting range at their practice facility, which they sometimes rent out for birthday parties. Bedard is in there so much, the team simply refers to it as 'Connor's room.'

Davidson joked he would need to "lock it to keep him out." Bedard however, seemed perturbed by this.

"It was a bit of fun, until Davidson got a text one Sunday while watching NFL games on his couch. Bedard wanted to know why the room was locked, and if Davidson did it intentionally."

However, all that hard work appears to be paying off as Connor Bedard is currently battling for Rookie of the Year honors.